Throttlestop won't change values

[spyders03]

So, I've tried watching videos and searching the archives, but I can't seem to find the answer (although I know I have to be missing something easy)

I have installed Throttlestop 8.5 (Tornado) and I don't have a FIVR button, and it won't seem to let me change anything of substance as far as values go. I have attached a screenshot, any help would be very much appreciated.

A couple more shots

Ok, I found 1 thread about it, and apparently my 920 is too old to the the Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator (FIVR). Does that mean TS will not be much use to me, or is there a way around it?

 

[infrared]

What motherboard do you have? Overclocking from the bios is always better than software if you have the option.

 

[spyders03]

It's an older Alienware, so the mobo is proprietary sadly, and it won't even give me the option to do it through the BIOS

 

[infrared]

ah right, that's annoying. You could try SetFSB, I don't think it'll let you change multiplier but it'll let you increase the base clock. You're more limited this way because increasing the base clock will increase the ram frequency too. And there will be a limit to how far the motherboard is capable of pushing the bclk. Be prepared for a bit of hassle finding out what clock generator chip is, you might be able to find out with google, but more likely you'll need to have to have a close look with a torch to find the pll and read the number.

Welcome to the forum btw

 

[spyders03]

Thanks @infrared I'll check that out, updating (cloning) to an SSD right now.

The RAM is 9GB (DDR3 at about 1300mhz - 3x2gb and 3x1gb), would this be worth upgrading to 2133Mhz, or would overclocking affect it just the same?

 

[unclewebb]

Unfortunately the Core i7-920 has a locked multiplier and locked turbo power limits. If your bios is limited then you are out of luck.

I recently picked up a Xeon W3680 on EBay for $55. These CPUs are unlocked and are virtually identical to the Core i7-980X Extreme.

https://ark.intel.com/products/4793...Edition-12M-Cache-3_33-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI
https://ark.intel.com/products/4791...r-W3680-12M-Cache-3_33-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI

Same CPU but one third the price. You should be able to sell your i7-920 to cover half the cost of the upgrade.

I was curious to see what ThrottleStop could do with an unlocked CPU in a Dell T3500 workstation. These computers have zilch for overclocking options in the bios.

With ThrottleStop, overclocking was dead simple. The multiplier adjusters were unlocked so I bumped all of them up to 31.

The TDP adjuster is also unlocked so I bumped it up to 180 Watts to avoid any throttling when all 6 cores are fully loaded at 4133 MHz.

I bought a fully functioning T3500 for $80 locally. If you keep your eyes open you might be able to find a W3680 for even less than what they sell for on EBay. You will end up with a nice performance boost for next to nothing. No one wants this old junk anymore.

 

[spyders03]

Thank you @unclewebb I looked them up, about 80 bucks on ebay all day long for that W3680.

So if I read that right, the processor is locked down in my case, and with TS I would still be able to overclock with the 3680? You think 4Ghz shouldn't be a problem on water cooling?


Kyle

 

[natr0n]

I wish it would work on the server board I got with dual x5675. All the ratio limit options are greyed. =(

 

[unclewebb]

I bought an X5650 for testing purposes and it was locked by Intel. The majority of socket 1366 CPUs are locked. The only unlocked ones that I know about are the Extreme CPUs, the Core i7-980X and Core i7-990X and their two very similar Xeon cousins, the Xeon W3680 and the Xeon W3690.

The W3670 is locked.

...and with TS I would still be able to overclock with the 3680?

As long as Dell did not set any secret lock bit, it should overclock. I do not think that Intel used a lock bit in the 1st Gen Core i CPUs. I will try to check for that later today. Those 2 Xeons seem identical to the multiplier unlocked Extreme CPUs.

I am only using the T3500 OEM heatsink and core temperatures are excellent.

This heatsink is a fan less design so I used some plastic cable ties to attach an old case fan I had in stock to get some more air flowing through it. These CPUs do not use the newer AVX instructions and they are 32nm vs 45nm for the Core i7-920. With water cooling you should have no problem running 4 GHz. Check out how the Cinebench scores have increased. Up more than 100% compared to a W3520 which is the Xeon equivalent of a Core i7-920.

 

[spyders03]

Thank you @unclewebb so much, I just ordered a pair of 660 TI graphics cards to SLI (actually just came in today!) and I'm on the hunt for a W3680 as you've mentioned, putting in some offers on ebay to try and score a little better deal, but I'll definitely be getting one. Thank you so much for your help, I'm really getting excited about tweaking this setup.

Any word on the lock bit?

Correction, looks like someone just accepted my offer for a W3680! (60 bucks with 5 dollar shipping) Hopefully it comes in in good shape!